Every once in a blue moon, I'll pull a Boresnake through a couple of times.

One day before every Halley's comet, I'll use a brush for the barrel. For the chamber, if it's an AR then I'll use an AR chamber brush. If it's not, I won't. I will occasionally jam a long Q-tip in there if I'm doing something that involves corrosive ammo.

If you shoot a lot of steel case lacquer 7.62x39 and 7.62x54, it helps to chuck up a short length of cleaning rod screwed into a brass cleaning brush sized up from chamber diameter about 10-20%.

Soak the chamber in Hoppes for at least an hour, keeping it wet.

Pull the bolt, and run the drill to ream out all the carboned up melted lacquer and crap baked on to the chamber walls.

In and out, in and out, just pretend you are doing your girl proud for about 15 minutes.

Chamber will be clean as a whistle, and sticky bolt will be a thing of the past.

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Every once in a blue moon, I'll pull a Boresnake through a couple of times.

One day before every Halley's comet, I'll use a brush for the barrel. For the chamber, if it's an AR then I'll use an AR chamber brush. If it's not, I won't. I will occasionally jam a long Q-tip in there if I'm doing something that involves corrosive ammo.

You think a boresnake cleans the chamber? I thought it just cleaned the bore...

Here's my take. The mouth of the cartridge case expands under pressure and obturates against the forward walls of the chamber. This should effectively seal the chamber at the case mouth thereby prevent carbonization or powder fouling in most of the chamber behind the case mouth. So that leaves the portion of the chamber between the case mouth and the start of the rifling.

In any case an oversize brush should be needed for the chamber. To be honest I don't really worry about this on my XP-100 or T/C centerfire barrels. Though my approach is to be more concerned with carbon fouling than copper deposits in the area of the chamber. Try something like BoreTech C4 Carbon Remover swabbed in to soak then followed by brass brush. After that I would follow with general barrel cleaning use a foaming bore scrubber like Sharp Shoot R Wipe Out to remove copper fouling.

Here's my take. The mouth of the cartridge case expands under pressure and obturates against the forward walls of the chamber. This should effectively seal the chamber at the case mouth thereby prevent carbonization or powder fouling in most of the chamber behind the case mouth. So that leaves the portion of the chamber between the case mouth and the start of the rifling.

In any case an oversize brush should be needed for the chamber. To be honest I don't really worry about this on my XP-100 or T/C centerfire barrels. Though my approach is to be more concerned with carbon fouling than copper deposits in the area of the chamber. Try something like BoreTech C4 Carbon Remover swabbed in to soak then followed by brass brush. After that I would follow with general barrel cleaning use a foaming bore scrubber like Sharp Shoot R Wipe Out to remove copper fouling.

The only fouling that occurs in my bolt action rifles is ahead of the shoulder. Depending on the load, some gas laden with soot will leak back from the neck. Ideally no farther back than half the neck. The big issue with "chamber fouling" (other than just dirt and dust from the environment) is the buildup of carbon you get in the last .020" or so of the neck area before the 2nd shoulder where the freebore begins. Factory chambers can get a lot of carbon buildup in this area, especially if one is always trimming cases to the recommended length. Only need about .010" for the case to safely expand forward. Best bet to avoid this is to measure the total length of the chamber using either a Sinclair "Plug" or putting some scratch concealing crayon on the side of the bullet just ahead of the case mouth, chambering, removing, then using a caliper to measure to the ridge that will be clearly formed in the wax by the second shoulder. Subtract .010" from that and don't trim below that length. Might have to trim after every firing but it helps keep the carbon out.

Cleaning a chamber, especially the neck area isn't bad if you just soak a large patch with a good bore cleaner and stuff it into the neck area of the chamber. Keep the patch wet by dribbling a few drops down the barrel from time to time. Leave the rifle sitting while you mow the lawn, wash the car/truck, read a book, have a nap, or other stuff. After 5-6 hours remove the patch then with a larger caliber brush that fits the neck area nice and tight (I like .357 brushes for a .308 chamber neck), rotate it in the chamber's neck area by hand for a few minutes. Then start patching it out.

I have the advantage of owning a Borecam so I look inside this area and if I see any carbon remaining i use a piece of drill rod that I've ground the end nice and square on. Edges make for nice scraping surface and I just scrape off whatever remains, checking with the cameral periodically.

If you want to clean a bore AND chamber real well, buy a chamber plug from Sinclair. It's a stubby plug that has an extractor ring on it and a couple of O-Rings. One plug for .308 will also plug a 30-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, and any other chamber that uses a similar sized case head.With the plug in place then pour your favorite (Non Ammoniated) bore cleaner into the bore while the barrel is vertical. Park the rifle in a corner for 24 hours or more. Top off the bore cleaner to make up for evaporation. When you think all the fouling has been softened or dissolved, pour out the bore cleaner, attack the barrel with a bore brush and then patch it out. THAT will get it clean for sure.

_________________"I've learned from the Dog that an afternoon nap is a good thing"

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"For he to-day that sheds his blood with meShall be my brother" - William Shakespeare

Every once in a blue moon, I'll pull a Boresnake through a couple of times.

One day before every Halley's comet, I'll use a brush for the barrel. For the chamber, if it's an AR then I'll use an AR chamber brush. If it's not, I won't. I will occasionally jam a long Q-tip in there if I'm doing something that involves corrosive ammo.

You think a boresnake cleans the chamber? I thought it just cleaned the bore...

Well, yeah. But I figure that it rubs against the sides of the chamber here and there.

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”Samuel Adams

...a larger caliber brush that fits the neck area nice and tight (I like .357 brushes for a .308 chamber neck), rotate it in the chamber's neck area by hand for a few minutes. Then start patching it out.

That's kinda what I was thinking. I don't have a .357 brush, and the .45 brush was definitely too large. I used a couple patches on my pistol rod and I think I did okay.

My M1A has a ratcheting chamber brush. I give that about fifty spins (probably equates to 15-20 rotations since I can only rotate the actuator about 1/3 of a turn each stroke. Once it's been brushed, then a small cloth is wrapped around the brush and I wipe the inside with it again. (It's a bitch to pull the thing back out)

Curious: What gun are you cleaning? Usually there are chamber brushes offered, no?

_________________"The said constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." ~ Samuel Adams

"I love Girl Scout Crack!" ~ usrifle

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Curious: What gun are you cleaning? Usually there are chamber brushes offered, no?

Cleaning my Rem 700 .308.

I finally bought reloading gear, so decided to measure the chamber, figured I'd clean it fully first, remove all the copper etc to get a good measurement. Start over "fresh". After all the cleaning, there was something (somethings) in the chamber scratching my brass up on the body of the shell, right behind the neck. So realized instead of just cleaning the bore, I need to clean the chamber too.

It occurs at either 4 or 5 spots on the casing. I think I've got them removed now with just the patches on an eyelet jag.

Every once in a blue moon, I'll pull a Boresnake through a couple of times.

One day before every Halley's comet, I'll use a brush for the barrel. For the chamber, if it's an AR then I'll use an AR chamber brush. If it's not, I won't. I will occasionally jam a long Q-tip in there if I'm doing something that involves corrosive ammo.

You think a boresnake cleans the chamber? I thought it just cleaned the bore...

Well, yeah. But I figure that it rubs against the sides of the chamber here and there.

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